Wednesday, August 31, 2011

I am looking for advice from fellow potters about a camera for taking pictures of my work. I just got a light tent and have lights and a graduated drop. However, I need to upgrade from my point and shoot. I want something that doesn't require a long learning curve if possible. Any advice would be welcome!

For publication, application to high end shows, etc, I have a great professional photographer, but I can't afford him for pics to post to my blog, facebook page, and similar sites and to use in postcards for shows.

We have a lightly used Brent Mini Slab Roller as shown below for sale at Mint Hill Arts in the Clay Studio for $325.00. It is a great tool for the smaller items you might make. We have recently gotten a larger slab roller for the studio and no longer need the small one.

Portable, yet extremely sturdy, this slab roller is compact enough to fit on a table while rolling out slabs up to 14" W x 15" L. Maximum slab thickness is 3/4".
The Mini SRC is ideal for taking to workshops or for studios with limited space.
It is constructed of steel pipe and bent plate like the SRC so it will last for many years.
The patented cable drive system with opposing rollers produces even pressure along the bed.
It includes one 1/4" shim with canvas and two 1/8" plain shims.
Assembled dimensions: 31"W x 26"L x 14"H.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

On September 3rd, Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville, North Carolina will open three new exhibits. Our featured exhibition is "South by Southwest: Collaborative Pottery by Jason Bohnert and Mark Knott" and our showcase exhibition is "Shawn Ireland - Pots and Paintings". Additionally, our online exhibition is "Ceramics by Dan Anderson". Join us for an artists reception on September 3rd at 6pm.
South by Southwest is a exhibit of collaborative pieces by Arizona potter Jason Bohnet and Georgia potter Mark Knott. Jason's work is heavily influenced by the natural world and travels to China, Italy, and all over the U.S. Most heavily he draws from Chinese folk pottery and the tradition of tea. The forms that interest Mark most reflect his love of the ocean: boats, water, continual movement, and repetitive patterns. These forms are softened by an ever changing color pallet and the atmosphere of his soda kiln This exhibition reaches across borders, miles of country, firing temperatures and differences in shape and form, to focus on commonalities between creative thinkers, makers of utilitarian objects, and soda-firing lovers of surface and decoration.

Pots and Paintings is an exhibition of pottery and paintings by Penland artist Shawn Ireland. Shawn utilizes local clays and glaze materials in his pottery described as both rustic and modern. His recent figurative candleholders and bowls have been influenced by travels to Italy where he experienced folk maiolica traditions and Etruscan antiquities. Still life and landscape have been the subjects of his paintings. ‘Pots & Paintings’ will be the first time Shawn has exhibited both his passions side by side.
Dan Anderson's work is an amalgam of vessel and industrial artifact. His pieces are handmade replicas of man made objects, soft clay renderings of metal objects aged and impotent reminders of a once powerful age. By firing his pieces in his anagama kiln, he is convinced that instead of merely heating the clay, the flame and ash have the capacity to alter and enhance his clay cans. The etched surface, created by sustained three to five day firing, imbues a "poetic" richness.

These exhibitions will open on September 3rd and remain through October 29th. Artists reception is Saturday Sept 3rd as well at 6pm. Each exhibition will also be available online starting September 3rd. For more information call 828-688-3599 or online at www.crimsonlaurelgallery.com.

(NOTE- the August 25 class has been canceled this week but please email kate@energyxchange.org to sign up for the following free classes:

Join Handmade in America’s Executive Director, Gwynne Rukenbrod and Director of Craft Entrepreneurship, Kari Rinn, as they answer these and more questions in the first of six 2-hour FREE workshops held in the EnergyXchange Conference Center building.

EnergyXchange has partnered with Handmade in America to bring their highly applauded Craft Labs to the campus on the hill. The series focuses on artist concerns, and over the next few months Gwynne and Kari will present six timely...and free workshops.

Pricing Your Work – September 8
Arranging and Selling From Your Booth – September 22
Why Buy Handmade? – October 6
How to Get Your Work Seen – October 20
Budgeting – November 17

All workshops are FREE and held on Thursday evenings from 6 to 8pm. Be sure to spread the word. Please call 675-5541 to register or e-mail kate@energyxchange.org.

Gwynne was a Curator of Fine Craft at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, a nonprofit founded to advance education about the process, product, and history of craft. An accomplished glass artist, she was Executive Director of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers, Art Curator of The Works at the Ohio Center for History, Art and Technology), and the Director of Columbus’ Days of Creation Arts for Kids.

Kari Rinn is a graduate of the Virginia Commonwealth University Crafts and Material studies program where she was the creator and curator of The Meyer Gallery, a metalsmith exhibit forum. She was a fellow to the Ox-Bow School of Art in affiliation with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Kari brings with her experience as the Director of Pistachios Gallery in Chicago.

The Energy XChange is also excited to have more business classes offered on campus by our local Mayland Community College:

THE BUSINESS OF ART

Beginning Thursday, September 15, from 6 to 8 pm and continuing through December, Mayland Community
College will be offering four artist/craft focused accounting, tax, and business classes on the EnergyXchange campus.

The first in the series will be

SETTING UP A BUSINESS

Are you thinking about setting up your own business or not sure what to do next with your own? This class will give you the ins and outs of start ups - registering your "name", retail or wholesale vis a vis taxes, incorporation...is this for me?, zoning and restrictions. This is a must attend if you are thinking about getting started or have been skirting the issue for years.

Other classes in the series will cover preparing and filing state and income taxes...why a sales tax number, what to deduct, quarterly-monthly-annually, what are the differences, how sales and use taxes effect you, what are the changes in the tax laws!

EnergyXchange welcomes Mayland Community College, a founding partner, to the hill. It's going to be a busy fall.

All the while I've been busy making pots for this weekend's "Cousins in Clay" pottery sale. My good friends Bruce Gholson and Samantha Henneke,of Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC, will be joining me and bringing their fresh-from-the-kiln pots for our 1st annual Mountain Cousin's in Clay Pottery Show and Sale.

For directions to Kline Pottery, click here.

“Cousins in Clay” is a kinship based on shared appreciation for the pursuit of excellence within the diverse language of clay."

For further information call Kline Pottery at 828 675 4097 or visit the web site,cousinsinclay.com.

Along with all the pots enjoy my father-in-law, George Lane's famous red beans and rice! There will also be plenty of refreshing beverages. So bring your friends, bring a blanket and have a picnic, and take home some beautiful pottery for the cabin!

This Friday and Saturday, August 26th and 27th from 10 til 5 inBakersville, NC.

Come out for the day or spend the weekend in the cool mountains of North Carolina and immerse yourself in the abundance of an internationally known Penland crafts community.

I have a great retail location for rent or building for sale in downtown w, jefferson,n.c. it is next to the chamber and 2 art galleries.

I have pictures if you contact me, it is 1,350 sq. ft. set up in the front , wood floor, track lighting , new store front. I have a store there now, which does close to $200,000 in the summer months. I want to move to Thailand. I would also consider option to buy the building.

The back of store is all brick so no problem putting a studio in the back with kilns, great oppurtunity to create a business. We have 9 upscale galleries and no potters.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The Mid-Atlantic Clay Conference is September 29 - October 2, 2011 in Royal Front VA, which is by Washington D.C. It is a fantastic line-up: Posey Bacopoulos, Wayne Bayless, Joyce Michaund, Dana Lehrer Danze, Susan Halls, Guy Zoeller, and many more. They need 20 more participants to make expenses!!!

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Got up early this morning to get to the community studio where I work, before all the masses arrive, to set up my new photography rig for the first time. I've had a trial or two on separate parts but this is the first time for the whole shebang. It's based on Michael Coffee's photo setup (link below) and if his was done on the cheap, then mine was done on the even cheaper. There are some bugs to work out (I need bulbs that aren't so bright among other things) but not too bad for the maiden voyage, I think.

The Empty Bowls Luncheon benefiting MANNA FoodBank will take place on Monday, September 26th. Because of the growth of this wonderful fundraiser we will be adding an evening meal at a different location at the Hilton in Biltmore Square Park. Over the years, John Hartom and I have headed up the Collector's Corner section of the event requesting exceptional bowls to be sold at market price. It has become a prized part of the event and most pieces sell! Many of you have donated in the past and I am asking you to consider donating for this year's event. We will feature the Collector's Corner at both events so we need your work.

Let me know if you can help out or have questions. You may drop off items (they don't have to be bowls...) at Hand in Hand Gallery or at MANNA in Asheville, or contact me for pick up.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

BURNSVILLE TRAC: The Laughter Life: 20 Years of Colliding Ideas, features the work of potter Claudia Dunaway and "very mixed media" artist John Richards. The exhibition will be on display through September 3rd.

Claudia Dunaway John Richards

After 20 years of collaborating on life and business, potter Claudia Dunaway and sculptor John D. Richards have finally invaded each other's creative space. Exchanging materials and ideas, both adding their designs to the other's work, these two individually accomplished artists are exploring familiar territory together with new and unexpected results. "The Laughter Life: 20 Years of Colliding Ideas" is the result of the great love and intertwined influences of two unusually talented artists.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Flow is a cooperative artists’ organization whose purpose is to display, promote, and sell Members’ and consignors’ original handmade work in a retail setting. Flow aspires to work within the guiding principles of the Slow Craft Movement, which seeks to connect the public with the beauty of handmade objects and the people who make them as well as to lightly and delightfully educate our target market to buy local and handmade.

Emily Reason and fellow members of Flow invite you to join us from 6-8pm on Wednesday August 10th for potluck refreshments and casual conversation about artist co-ops. We'll also get a sneak preview of Clay Body a collaborative exhibit by Rob Pulleyn & Lisa Mandle, featuring Lisa's figure drawings on Rob's ceramic vessels. The food theme for the evening will be "from the garden," but food or beverage of any kind that you can bring to share is greatly appreciated.

In Jill's own words: "The blog is developing into a critical reflection of contemporary ceramic culture and exhibitions. As a maker, a writer and a curator I am interested in investigating broader topics within ceramics that draw parallels for all stakeholders: makers, patrons, students, dealers, etc. The goal of Whistlepig Studio Blog is to strike a voice, which is part Twain, part Burroughs, with the depth and breadth of the New Yorker through monthly essays, featured project links, transcriptions of anonymous dialogues and artist spotlight interviews."

So take a look and see what she is up to and check back in from time to time to see how things evolve.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Weekend Workshop with John Britt

“Understanding Glazes “

Friday – Sunday – August 19th, 20th, 21st, 2011

This workshop will be a general overview of ceramic glazes and will covers all cones. (including: pit, decals, lusters, low fire, cone 3, midrange, cone 10, wood, salt, and soda.) It is designed for the beginner to the intermediate potter. We will discuss cones, kilns, firing dynamics and principles as well as applying those principles to various firing cycles.

We will be doing a cone 10/11 reduction firing for shino, celadon, and copper red glazes. Please bring 3 – 8 bisque tumblers or cups made of cone 10 clay, (either porcelain or white stoneware) which we will glaze on Friday evening for an experimental firing on Saturday and unload on Sunday afternoon. Email Clay@CastrovillePottery.com for more details.

Illuminated Artistry: A Free Workshop for Artists & Artisans Where Creativity and the Law Intersect

Please join us for a FREE day-long workshop where artists, artisans, and cultural entrepreneurs will learn about the legal aspects of running their art-based businesses. Speakers at this event include attorneys and other professionals who regularly work with artists and art-focused enterprises, and who look forward to sharing their expertise with attendees!

Takes place August 18th from 9:00 to 4:00 at the YMI Cultural Center in Asheville.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Flow is a cooperative artists’ organization whose purpose is to display, promote, and sell Members’ and consignors’ original handmade work in a retail setting. Flow aspires to work within the guiding principles of the Slow Craft Movement, which seeks to connect the public with the beauty of handmade objects and the people who make them as well as to lightly and delightfully educate our target market to buy local and handmade.

Emily Reason and fellow members of Flow invite you to join us from 6-8pm on Wednesday August 10th for potluck refreshments and casual conversation about artist co-ops. We'll also get a sneak preview of Clay Body a collaborative exhibit by Rob Pulleyn & Lisa Mandle, featuring Lisa's figure drawings on Rob's ceramic vessels. The food theme for the evening will be "from the garden," but food or beverage of any kind that you can bring to share is greatly appreciated.

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About Clay Club

Clay Club meets at artist studios and other locations throughout Western North Carolina, usually on the second Wednesday of the month. All potters and ceramic artists are welcome! Look for details about the meetings here on the blog or contact Amy Waller at amy@amywallerpottery.com for more info.